Popular Kannywood actress Nafisa Abdullahi has addressed criticism over her recent take on marriage, insisting her statements were her personal opinion and not an attack on religion or other people’s choices.
The actress had in a recent video clip, which went viral on social media, critiqued what she described as the unrealistic expectations and lack of mutual responsibility she observed in certain societal practices with regards to marriage. She said some men do not enter marriage solely for spiritual fulfillment. They treat marriage as a way to simply obtain a caregiver to cook, wash, and raise children.
Her comments stirred controversy, with some ulama accusing her of being anti-marriage. Some however supported her argument that traditional marital roles are often misused and abused.
Dateline Nigeria reports that Nafisa Abdullahi has now addressed the reactions to her comment in a clip posted on her Facebook page over the weekend.
“I am not fighting with my religion. Why would I fight with it?” she said, pushing back against accusations that her comments were anti-religious.
She clarified her previous remarks. “The fact that I said if I’d like, I’d get married. If I don’t, I won’t. It’s my opinion. My choice. I didn’t say the people who want to get married, shouldn’t. Nope. I have no business in what you do in your life,” she said, adding that “I didn’t say marriage is not good.”
Speaking further, she said “it’s so funny [the reactions generated by her comment]. No, I did not say anything. Whatever it is that I said I said it for myself.”
The video has sparked conversation online about how personal opinions are interpreted on social media, and the pressure public figures face when discussing lifestyle and religious identity.
